Every Rose Has Its Thorn
by GokuaVergil
Summary: Rosa White has been reliving the same day over and over again, but what happens when she has the chance to go on a journey to search for something beloved to her? What could happen when her Pokémon learn of her disease?


Hello.

This is my own personal notebook that I'm going to use to keep track of my everyday life, though that may make me look a bit odd – but, no one's going to see this either way.

My name is Rosa White. I'm eighteen years old, and I live in Aspertia City. Now, if you don't know where that is, it's in the south-west portion of the region we all love, which is, of course, Unova.

Despite being called a city, this place isn't all that huge. It isn't exactly a megatropolis, but it isn't an unoticeable village.

Well, more about me.. I'm left at home with an alcoholic mother. I've been left here without a father, without a stronghold to hide within.

Where's my father? Hell if I know. If I knew where he was, I would run out of this town in a flash a long time ago.

Eh.. this is getting a bit sappy. I bet you're wondering why I decided to get a diary in the first place, and not my problems, huh?

Sure you are.

This town is _killing me. _I do the same thing every day: I get up, eat breakfast, go outside, walk around, do my best to act pleasant around others.. go back inside, eat dinner, and go back to sleep. It's always the same thing. It's so _boring_!

But I'm going to change everything someday. I swear I will.

End of entry.

Rosa White, 11-1-14

The cold, lonely morning air clings to my skin as I crawl my way out of bed, grunting in dismay as the outside sun infiltrates my room, trying to force itself into my eyes.

I pull myself up with a groan, a yawn prying my dry lips open so it can escape as I shield my eyes from the sun with my arm.

As I sit on the side of my bed, a mop of hair falls over my face, and I give a sigh of annoyance while I brush it to the side.

I blindly reach for my hairbrush, my hand grabbng a hold of the desk next to my bed. I begin to pull myself over, only to lose my grip and fall face-first on the floor with a loud 'THUD'.

Today is going to be a long day.

My worn out t-shirt swings back and forth, as if it was made for someone twice my size. But it's still nice, seeing how it's so simple in design. Just a little Pokéball in the center of an otherwise plain shirt.

I lazily pull my bright, frilly skirt up my thin, black pants as I stretch across the couch, my tired eyes closing every ten seconds.

"Ahhh," I yawn, waving my hand over my mouth as I ball my hand into a fist, wiping the crusty sleep from both of my eyes.

"Rosa!" The door was shoved open as an older woman stepped into the cold home, her hair bouncing off her back as she left the wooden entrance wide open.

_Why is mom home so early? _I think to myself, admittedly bewildered; and it's not just that, but she's not drunk?

"Rosa, get up off the couch. There's something you really need to hear!" My mother cried, both her hands grabbing my hair that had been tied into two tight buns, wiggling them annoyingly, "Get up, now!"

I weakly sit myself up, somewhat teetering back and forth as my eyes adjust onto her carefully, seeing that she's looking rather serious, with her fists curled up tightly.

"I went to the police station after getting a call last night," her mother began, sitting next to her daughter, moving one of her hands onto her knees, "They wanted you to know how sorry they are.. but.. they have a lead on where dad is."

"Uh-huh.." I trail off, staring at my shoes; it's the same talk I've heard thouands of times. So I pretend I'm interested. Condolences stopped working on me two months ago.

When I mentioned my father wasn't around, I meant that he disappeared without a trace. This happens every few weeks. They come around, say how sorry they are, and go back to their station to work on far inferior cases.

It wasn't like he was home much to begin with, but when he was, he always made sure that I was okay. Physically, mentally, emotionally. He's the greatest man I've ever known, and someone took him away from me..

"They told me," Mom took a quick breath, as if she were preparing herself, "They told me that they found him in Opelucid City, with what appeared to be Team Plasma members."

Suddenly, my head jolts up as my fists clench tightly, "Are you serious?! Team Plasma? They don't exist any more, though!"

_This is ridiculous. After months of this constant boring atmosphere, weeks of this emptiness, they finally have a lead?_

"I thought that, too," she continued, removing her hand from my knee, putting it on her cheek instead, her expression darkening, "You know how dad was a scientist in Pokemon biology? They think that might have something to do with it. But that's all they know."

With that, I stood up quickly, walking towards the hallway slowly before turning to my mother, "I have to go find him. Right now."

My mother rushed over to me, grabbing my wrist like she intended to snap it in two, coercing my mouth to let out a sharp gasp of pain.

"You're not going any where, young lady!" She snapped, bareing her teeth as she forced me away from the hall, "Besides, it's against the law! You don't have a Pokemon of your own, and you don't even have a single gym badge! You are staying in this house!"

"You can't tell me what to do any more, mom!" I argued, prying my wrist out from her tight grip, "I'm a legal adult! I can get a Pokemon if I please!"

"You don't have any battling experience in the first place, Rosa," my mother growled, stomping away from me, "You won't survive out there! Especially not with your condition!"

I could feel my blood boil as I eased towards the door, my face turning emotionless as I turned the door knob, despite her protests.

"I'll show you," I say shakily, trying to tame my voice, "I can make it. You don't understand. See you later."

I slam the door behind me, the crash echoing through the windy city while I take a few steps into the street, crossing my arms to keep them warm.

_I really should have put a jacket on.. _I think, realizing how absent-minded that was of me, but I shrug as I make my way down.

"Hey, Rosa! What'cha doin' out here so early?" A nasal-sounding voice calls out from in front of me, causing me to cringe with dread.

The wind slowly dies down as I get a good look at the kid standing in front of me: It's Hugh, my neighbor. I hate his guts.

Hugh is a year younger than me and it's impossible how annoying he can be You could probably see it through his behaviour if you knew him for as long as I have.

His hair is a dark blue, his hair resembling protruding spikes' (you know, like a Quilfish), almost covering his ears. From below that, he has bright red eyes.

Hugh's jacket extends to the bottom of his chin, a white color at the top, stretching in-between the red sleeves all the way to his finger-less gloves on each side.

He wears baggy blue jeans, hiding most of his red sneakers. He dresses like a pretty normal kid, I would say.

It doesn't change the fact that he annoys the piss out of me, but it's not like I can say a word like that. I just realized his little sister is clinging to his saggy pantleg.

"Ya gonna speak up or what? Still don't have a Pokemon? Aren't you bored?" Hugh bombarded me with constant questions, his red eyes continually glancing over me.

"No, Hugh," I manage to mutter this out from my clenched teeth, "I don't have a Pokemon, and yeah, I'm kinda bored!"

"You sure sound sarcastic this morning," Hugh frowned, resting his gloved hand on his hip, "Or is that irritation? I really can't tell."

"It's nothing," I lie, rolling my eyes with a sigh, "Just tired. I was actually looking to find some wild Pokemon. I'm thinking about trying out the gym.."

"Well, do I have good news for you! There's a lady at the Aspertia Lookout giving away Pokemon! I thought I would come and tell you." Hugh says this as he grins stupidly, his one-track mind showing once again.

But, I'm actually surprised that this kid would tell me such a thing, with the way I've always pushed him away. It could be that he's bored out of his mind, as well.

"Really? I have to go check this out then.. thank you, Hugh." Those three words feel like poison on my tongue. Ugh.

But with that, I step past the two before the grasp of a small hand stops me in my tracks, and I turn back cautiously to see what it was.

"Um, Rosa?" the little girl's voice sounds as if it's going to fade into the wind, her words barely being squeezed out of her throat. She's so quiet, it's almost otherworldly to me.

"What is it, Anabel? Want me to pick a Pokemon up for you, too?" I ask this out of genuine wonder, and, unlike Hugh, I have no quarrel with this little girl. She's such a sweetheart.

"N-no, but," Anabel sounds as if something is wedged in her throat, her lips quivering, and I can't tell if she's saddened from the topic or just nervous, "I-If you get a Pokemon, be sure to be really nice to it, okay?"

Ah.. that's right. Not too long ago this little girl had her very first Pokemon stolen from her. It was just a cute little Purrloin, incapable of fighting back at the time.

If I'm to guess anything, it was the same people who took my dad from me. It's why Hugh has been an even worse bother, since it's all he goes on about any more.

But, then again, that's a pretty wild guess.

"Sure," I give her a reassuring, warm smile as I bend down on my knee, rubbing the top of her head gently, "You can count on me."

Hugh chuckled as I stood, my hand resting on my hip as I looked toward the spiky-haired boy. "Ready to go?"

"Yeah! C'mon!" Hugh cheered loudly, rushing off quickly, leaving me there to eat his dust.

"Hello?" I call out as I slowly make my way up the steps, seeing the scenery beyond the lookout roll out before me, the sun seemingly shining now. It's a nice change from the way things were earlier this morning.

"Oh, um, h-hi!" A taller woman clumsily stumbled toward me, manging to firmly plant her feet on the ground, "You're here for a Pokemon, right?"

This girl sure does look like the ditzy kind. Her bright green eyes are wide open, and long blonde hair hides underneath her lime green hat, which happens to have a white bow attached to it.

She seems to be wearng a white t-shirt, with an orange jacket covering her arms, much to my unwanted jealousy.

Oddly enough, her pants are pulled up to her knees, which are also a lime green color as well. Amongst that are her two orange sneakers, with two cute black ribbons on each.

"My name is Bianca, how about you, friend?" She smiles in a cheerful way, but it also seems kind of goofy.

"Rosa," I answer, "I'm here to pick up a Pokemon. My friend told me I could. Please, tell me I'm not too late!"

"Not at all," Bianca tilts her head, shutting her eyes as she smiles once again, her hands slipping a clear container out from her coat, "You can pick from these remaining two. Someone came and picked up Tepig early- OH! Before I forget, do you know what the starters are in this region?" 

"Of course," I say, staring at the clear container, "Aren't they uh... Snivel, Ushawutt, and uh.. that Teapig thing.. right?"

A storm of laughter erupted from the lady's lips, bending her head down and clutching her knees as tears run down her cheeks.

I tap my feet against each other, embarassed as my skin fades into a dark shade of red, "I-it's not that funny! Come on!"

Bianca took a quick breath of fresh air, pushing her glasses up to her eyes as she wiped a falling tear off her cheek, "I'm sorry! I just.. woo.. that was too good. Uh, anyway! No, they are not! The grass-type is called Snivy, and it's kinda.. it's this cute little green snake! I have an old buddy who used it! Oshawott is never picked much, due to its first form not being terribly strong, but it holds lots of potential! It's a water type, and even uses a little scallop thingy to battle! Tepig is gone, though.. someone came here about a week ago and picked it up! It's considered to be easy mode for trainers, but what's a journey without a little challenge?"

This influx of information is a bit much, since it seems like she just said it all in a single breath. But I shrug in response, staring at the two pokéballs as I move my hand over each of them.

"Is this one Oshawott?" I ask, placing my hand over the middle ball as I press onto it, receiving a nod from the woman in front of me, "I'll take that one, then.."

I scoop up the pokéball into my hand, a warm smile spreading across my lips as I look over to Bianca, who seems to be relatively pleased at my reaction.

She tilted her head, giving a cute smile as she approached me, holding some type of red box in her hand.

"This is something that all trainers are required to have these days," she said, pushing it into my hands, "It's called a pokédex! It records data on every single Pokemon you encounter and catch! It's pretty darn cool if I say so myself."

"Thanks a lot, Bianca! I can never thank you enough!" I take a moment to give her a bow of respect, but someone's hand stops me.

"I see ya got your own Pokémon! This all works out then!" Hugh states excitedly, pulling his own ball out from his pocket, "I challenge you to a battle! I'll even use my own Snivy I raised from an egg!"

A fight with Hugh? He may seem scary in this scenario, but it's not like he's had any battling experience either. This should be a breeze for me, despite the type advantage.. wait, does water beat grass? I forget.

"I guess you're on, then, Hugh!" I call out, grasping my Pokéball tightly before moving to throw it. I can feel the adrenaline rushing through my veins.

But at the same time, I've never feared for my life more than I have right now.


End file.
